March 31, 2025 | "Transformed Lives Transform Lives" | | |
We pray for the United Women of Faith at National UMC in D.C. and their ongoing tree-planting ministry. The women recently celebrated the first anniversary of planting 38 trees on their three campuses: Metropolitan Memorial, Wesley, and St. Luke's Mission Center. They note that areas lacking tree shade can be 15 degrees hotter than areas with trees.
| | |
The Rev. Bill Brown, the BWC’s Director of Creative Evangelism, was recently a guest on the Church is Changing podcast. Listen as he shares his insights on the changing signs of church vitality in the 2020s and what we should now measure.
Amidst the sweep of ongoing, massive layoffs, several area United Methodist churches are responding to the needs of federal workers. Read the UMNS story.
We pray for Bishop Easterling and the Cabinet, along with pastors and churches experiencing changes in pastoral appointments. See the appointment and retiree list. See a list of Clear Opening church profiles.
| | New ministry positions in the BWC foster vitality | | |
The Baltimore-Washington Conference is hiring.
Vitality Specialists – clergy or lay people – will support the ministry of conference superintendents in missional strategy and support conference development of resources for local church vitality. See the details of the position and how to apply.
The Manager of Learning Management System –This contracted position will oversee the administration, configuration, and optimization of the conference’s LMS platform (Tovuti). This person will work remotely, an average of 30 hours per week with Discipleship Ministries. See the details of the position and how to apply.
| | BWC Award nominations due April 1 | | |
Help Us Celebrate What We Want More of: Love in Action! Don’t forget to nominate someone you know or apply for one of the Annual Conference Awards. These include Advocacy and Action, Evangelism, Wellness and Missions, and Young People’s Ministry Impact. Learn more.
This year, there will be a new award that will honor how young people are making a difference in their churches, communities, and the world. A $1,000 award will be presented at the Annual Conference session in May. The deadline to apply is April 1. See the nomination form.
| | New and Featured Ministries | | |
"Live From Wespath" will air on Wednesday, April 30, at noon. This virtual four-hour event features information and insights from Wespath about the new Compass clergy retirement plan, investments, and benefits. Your registration allows you to participate in the entire event; simply drop in for the segments that interest you or receive a link approximately three to five business days after the event to view at your convenience. Learn more and register.
The denomination’s General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the Baltimore-Washington Conference have extended their deadlines for students to apply for college scholarships to Monday, April 7.
The key to effective leadership is the ability to be a non-anxious presence. The Non-Anxious Leader: Family Systems Basics is a four-week online course, held April 7 through May 4, that will help you learn the principles behind this approach and how to put them into practice. 3.0 CEUs are awarded for successful completion. There is no cost to lay and clergy members of the Baltimore-Washington Conference. Learn more and register.
New Certified Lay Minister class applications are now being accepted -- Applications for the next class of Certified Lay Ministers, the Baltimore-Washington Conference Class of 2025-2027, are now being accepted. Learn more and see the online application. The deadline to submit your application is July 1. The next cohort will start in September and is a two-year commitment. Questions can be directed to Linda Flanagan, Conference Director of Lay Servant Ministries.
Author's tour for 'Good Soil': Jeff Chu, an award-winning journalist and author of "Good Soil," will speak at St. Paul UMC in Kensington on Saturday, May 3, from 10 a.m. to noon. The book explores his time at the Farminary at Princetown Theological Network. This is a free event, but RSVPs are requested. Reserve your spot.
| | |
You're invited to the third annual Grazing on Maryland dinner fundraiser at the West River Center on April 13 from 4 to 7 p.m. Proceeds from the dinner will go toward the camp scholarship fund. Come out to the beautiful West River Center at 5100 Chalk Point Road in West River and enjoy an evening of local flavors, including a pig roast, live oyster bar, wonderful local salads/field greens, and great desserts. There will be live music and a silent auction, too. Tickets must be purchased in advance at $85 per plate.
Learn more about Critical Race Theory: The BWC’s United Women in Faith will host a Critical Race Theory Workshop on April 26 at 1 p.m. at the BWC Mission Center in Fulton. Learn more and register.
| More than 1,300 youth ignited a new spirit in youth ministry in the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Area at IGNITE in Ocean City in March. See a video story of the event. If you're interested in sharing your vision and being part of the planning team for next year's event, fill out this interest survey. | | Opportunties for Advocacy and Action | | |
A workshop on Models of Faith-Based Engagement with Public Life will be held on April 5 from 1 to 5 p.m. at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. Religious leaders, scholars, and community activists will explore strategies for engagement from faith-based organizing to populist movements. Also, take a special workshop on an issue that draws on your passion for faithful witness and advocacy, from immigrant rights to environmental justice. This event is co-sponsored by the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington and the Interfaith Power and Light, DC. Learn more and register.
An interfaith Sensitive Locations, Sacred Spaces Prayer Vigil, will be held April 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the National City Church, at 5 Thomas Circles, NW, in Washington, D.C. The vigil is on the eve of the first hearing of the historic lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security's rescission of the sensitive locations memo. RVSP to attend.
| | Discipleship Opportunities | | |
Disaster Relief Kits: In an effort to assist with disaster relief, local groups are offering opportunities to pack health and cleaning kits. Everyone is invited to a packing session at Frostburg UMC with students and pastors from the Cumberland-Hagerstown District on April 5 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century will sponsor workshops on Black Wellbeing Collective with Dr. Ronald Bell beginning April 28. These sessions will cover topics from Identity and Managing Stress to Conflict Resolution and Mental Health. It is open to clergy in Pen-Del and BWC. Participants are asked to attend all sessions and commit to attending the closing ceremony. Registration closes on April 18. Register.
| | Mark your Calendars: Coming This Summer | | |
Washington Conference Pilgrimage Bus Trip: On June 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Conference’s annual Pilgrimage Bus Trip will explore the former racially segregated old Washington Conference as we wrestle with questions about race, justice, and equality. This year’s trip focuses on Baltimore sites. Free parking is available at Lovely Lane UMC at 2200 St. Paul St. in Baltimore, where the day will begin and end. The cost is $50 (scholarships are available), which includes the bus, lunch catered by a Black-owned catering company, admission to all sites, interpretation, and a lesson on pilgrimage theology. Full participants can earn 0.6 CEUs.Learn more and register.
| | |
Save the Date: Mission u, hosted by the United Women in Faith and Advocacy and Action ministries, will be held Aug 1-2 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Annapolis. The adult study will focus on Practicing Hope. The youth event will explore “Living as Communities of the Spirit: Living into Hope as a Resurrection People.”
| |
Submissions?
Melissa Lauber, Director of Communications
11711 East Market Place, Fulton, MD 20759
| |
| | | |
